The Art of Storytelling

Building a Relationship

Building a relationship is key for marketing and selling. If there is no trust, no human element, you cannot build a relationship, and you will struggle to sell. Today, telling your story is not an option. It is a must! These days, we all have limited attention and time. We have seconds to capture consumers’ attention. Therefore, we better master storytelling. Like many of you, I would think, “but I do not have a good story to tell!” All of us have stories to tell; we simply do not know how to tell them or where to begin.

Think about your favorite movie. You will see that you are starting to visualize key parts and characters of your favorite movie, and, if you pay attention, you will realize that these parts have strong emotional elements such as fear, anger, sadness, joy, excitement… because as a human, we do not forget how we feel.

How can you apply this to your business?

Look at your business. Think about the moments that you have been frustrated over, achieved, failed or struggled. You have found your story’s climax! That is it. Now, what happened before and after this moment? How did you solve the problem? What was your path to success? How did you bounce back after you had failed? Start with emotions, make people visualize the situation, make sure you include key characters and then the resolution. Finally, if you can add a call to action to your story such as "If you have a similar story, share with us!”, no one will be able to stop you!

Your story does not necessarily need to be a single major story. Think about your daily work. You had a very tough sales meeting, but in the end you finalized the deal. You are proud! Go to social media and tell your story.

As we mentioned in our branding post, think of your business as a person who feels and reacts. You need to fight to be a part of your clients’ life instead of pushing your products to them. Would you become friends with anyone without talking to them or listening to their stories? Why would anyone buy from you if you do not share anything with them?

Send us your story at duqsbdc@duq.edu. We would be happy to give you feedback!


The Duquesne University SBDC provides free business consulting for entrepreneurs in the Greater Pittsburgh area. Click here to request free consulting, or contact the SBDC for additional help and information.

Tunca Cali is the Marketing & Training Coordinator of the Duquesne University Small Business Development Center (DUSBDC). He earned his MBA degree from Duquesne University. He has worked with several clients over the past years and helped them to develop marketing strategies as well as marketing and coordinating the training events offered by the DUSBDC.